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Thera 20.6: Sela
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(253):Sela Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter XVI. Twenty Verses =253. Sela1= Reborn in this Buddha-age, in Anguttarapa,2 in a brahmin(priest) family, at the brahmin village of Āpaṇa, he was named Sela. And he lived there when adult, proficient in the three Vedas and in brahmin(priest) arts, teaching mantras to 300 brahmin(priest) youths. Now at that time the Lord(Buddha), leaving Sāvatthī, toured in Anguttarāpa with 1,250 bhikkhus(monks). And divining the maturity of insight in Sela and his pupils, he halted at a certain wood. Then Keniya, the ascetic, having invited the Lord(Buddha) and his band for the following day, made preparation of much food. And Sela with his 300 visited the hermitage and asked: 'What now, Keniya, is a minister of the King expected?' and so on. Keniya replied: 'I have invited the Buddha, the Exalted One(Buddha) for to-morrow.' Now Sela, thrilled with joyful enthusiasm at the word 'Buddha,' sought out the Lord(Buddha) straightway with his youths, and after exchange of courtesies seated himself at one side. Meditating the Exalted One, he thought: 'He has all the marks of one who is either a world-emperor, or a Buddha rolling back the veil of the world; yet I know not whether this religious ascetic be a Buddha or not. But I have heard that they who are Exalted Ones, Arahants(enlightened ones), Buddhas supreme, reveal themselves when their praises are uttered; for one who is not such a Buddha, when some one in his presence praises the virtues of a Buddha, is irritated and dissatisfied, because he has not won the serene confidence of Buddhas,3 and cannot endure the allusions.4 What if I were now to praise the Samana Gotama(Buddha) to his face with suitable verses? So he began: ---- 818 Paripuṇṇakāyo suruci sujāto cārudassano,|| Suvaṇṇavaṇaṇosi bhagavā susukkadāṭho viriyavā.|| || 819 Narassa hi sujātassaye bhavanti viyañjanā,|| Sabbe te tava kāyasmiɱ mahāpurisalakkhaṇā.|| || 820 Pasannanetto sumukho brahmā uju patāpavā,|| Majjhe samaṇasaŋghassa ādicco'va virocasi.|| || 821 Kalyāṇadassano bhikkhu kañcanasannibhattaco,|| Kiɱ te samaṇabhāvena evaɱ uttamavaṇṇino.|| || 822 Rājā arahasi bhavituɱ cakkavattī rathesabho,|| Cāturanto vijitāvī jambusaṇḍassa issaro.|| || 823 Khattiyā bhogā rājāno anuyantā bhavanti te,|| Rājādhirājā4 manujindo rajjaɱ kārehi gotama.|| || ---- 818 O you of perfect form and beauty rare, Of fairest (body)parts5 and lovely to see, Exalted One(Buddha)! your colour like fine gold, You valiant spirit, with the dazzling teeth, 819 Whose body shows the features that betray The man of perfectly adjusted (body)parts, Yes, all the traits that mark the Super-Man; 820 you with the eyes so clear, your composure So fair, broad,6 straight, majestic, you do shine As did the sun, the centre you of all The chosen band of monks gathered round. 821 you bhikkhu(monk) noble of aspect, whose skin Resembls gold, say, what is hermit's life To you with presence so supremely fair? 822 A Prince you do deserve to be, a Bull Drawing the chariot of the world's empire; Lord of the earth from end to end foursquare, A conqueror, of Jambudīpa chief. 823 Nobles and wealthy lords your vassals be, You sovran lord of lords, you king of men, Take you your power, O Gotama(Buddha), and reign! ---- Then the Exalted One(Buddha), fulfilling Sela's wish, replied: ---- 824 Rājāhamasuhi sela (selati bhagavā) dhammarājā anuttaro,|| Dhammena vakkaɱ vattemu cakkaɱ appativattiyaɱ.|| || ---- 824 'A king, O Sela, verily am I; King of the Path(Dhamma), above me there is none. 312 And by my doctrine7 do I turn the wheel Of sovereignty, wheel irreversible.' ---- Then Sela to win confirmation spoke again:8 ---- 825 Sambuddho paṭijānāsi (iti selo brāhmaṇo) dhammarājā sanuttaro,|| Dhammena cakkaɱ vattemi iti bhāsasi gotama.|| || 826 Ko nu senāpati bhoto sāvako satthu anvayo,|| Ko te maɱ anuvatteti dhammacakkaɱ pavattitaɱ.|| || ---- 825 Wholly enlightened you do own yourself: 'King of the Path(Dhamma), above me there is none And by my doctrine do I turn the wheel Of sovereignty' - so you say, Gotama. 826 Who is the general of my lord the King, Disciple following in the Lord(Buddha)'s steps? Who after his example turns the wheel? ---- Now the venerable Sāriputta was seated at the right of the Exalted One(Buddha), his head shining in beauty like a pile of gold. And showing him the Exalted One said: ---- 827 Mayā pavattitaɱ cakkaɱ (selāti bhagavā) dhammacakkaɱ anuttaraɱ,|| Sāriputto anuvatteti anujāto tathāgataɱ.|| || 828 Abhiññeyyaɱ abhiññātaɱ bhāvetabbaɱ ca bhāvitaɱ,|| Pahātabbaɱ pahīnaɱ me tasmā buddhosmi brāhmaṇa.|| || 829 Vinayassu mayi kaŋkhaɱ adhimuccassu brāhmaṇa,|| Dullabhaɱ dassanaɱ hoti sambuddhānaɱ abhiṇhaso.|| || 830 Yesaɱ ve dullabho loke pātubhāvo abhiṇhaso,|| So'haɱ brāhmaṇa sambuddho sallakatto anuttaro.|| || 831 Brahmabhūto atitulo mārasenappamaddano,|| Sabbāmitte vase katvā modāmi akutobhayo.|| || ---- 827 'The wheel I set a-going of the Path(Dhamma), Above which, Sela, there is none, that wheel Did Sariputta after my example9 turn, Who has become like Tathagatha (Buddha). 828 All that which should be known is known by me, All culture of the mind, that have I did, Whatever should be renounced I have renounced, Hence, brahmin! am I Buddha - one Awakened(into truth). 829 313 Subdue your doubts regarding me, brahmin! Have faith in me. Hard, hard it is to win Repeated seeing - you mayest now - Of them who rise on earth Buddhas Supreme. 830 And it is of such whose advent in the world Is difficult and rare, that I in truth Am one, O brahmin! yes, a Buddha I, Surgeon and Healer,10 over whom there's none. 831 Supreme my place and past compare my work, In crushing the assaults of Māra's(deathlord/devil) hosts. All that is hostile lis under my sway, And I rejoice for from no where comes fear.' ---- Then Sela the brahmin(priest), so convinced by the Exalted One(Buddha) as to wish to take monk’s orders, said: ---- 832 Idaɱ bhonto nisāmetha yathā bhāsati cakkhumā,|| Sallakatto1 mahāvīro nīho'va nadatī vane.|| || 833 Brahmabhūtaɱ atitulaɱ mārasenappamaddanaɱ,|| Ko disvā nappasīdeyya api kaṇhābhijātiko.|| || 834 Yo maɱ icchati anvetu yo vā nicchati gacchatu,|| Idhāhaɱ pabbajissāmi varapaññassa santike.|| || ---- 832 'Now pay good heed, sirs, to the words that He Who sees, Healer and Great one, speaks to us, Impressive as a forest lion's roar. 833 Supreme in place and past compare in work, Who crushs the assaults of Māra's(deathlord/devil) hosts: - 834 Who that has seen him would not feel convinced, And were he never so obscure of birth?11 He who is glad for me may follow me; And whosoever is not glad may go his way; But I will in this Rule renounce the world, Under him who is so noble and so wise.' ---- Then the brahmin(priest) youths also, because they had attained to the requisite conditions, replied: ---- 835 Etaɱ ce ruccati bhoto sammāsambuddhasāsanaɱ,|| Mayampi pabbajissāma varapaññassa santike.|| || ---- 835 'If to your judgment, sir, this Rule of him. The Supreme Buddha, did commend itself, We too will in that Rule renounce the world, Under him who is so noble and so wise.' ---- Then Sela, delighted because those youths shared in his resolve, showed them to the Lord(Buddha) and asked for initiation into monkhood: ---- 836 Brāhmaṇā tisatā ime yācanti pañjalīkatā,|| Brahmacariyaɱ carissāma bhagavā tava santike.|| || ---- 836 These thrice one hundred brahmins(priests) with clasped hands Beseech you, O Exalted One(Buddha), that we May lead the holy life(celibacy/sage’s life) beneath your eye. ---- Then the Exalted One, inasmuch as in past ages Sela, as teacher of just those 300, had sown the root of merit, and now in the last life had produced both his own insight and their maturity, discerned that they were ripe for initiation into monkhood and said: ---- 837 Svākkhātaɱ brahmacariyaɱ (selāti bhagavā) sandiṭṭhikamakālikaɱ,|| Yattha amoghā pabbajjā appamattassa sikkhato.|| || ---- 837 'Well, Sela, is the holy life(celibacy/sage’s life) is set forth, Clear to be seen and heard; swift is the fruit,12 In which not futile is the coming forth For one who earnestly did train himself.' ---- Upon that the Exalted One said: 'Come you, bhikkhus(monks)!' And they, by his mystic power gifted with the robes and bowl of bhikkhus(monks) of long-standing,13 did obeisance and began their studies for insight, attaining arahantship(enlightenment) on the seventh day. because of that they came to the Lord(Buddha) and declared aññā''(supreme attainment)'' thus, Sela speaking: ---- 839 Tuvaɱ buddho tuvaɱ satthā tuvaɱ mārābhibhū muni,|| Tuvaɱ anusaye chetvā tiṇṇo tāresimaɱ pajaɱ.|| || 840 Upadhī te samatikkantā āsavā te padālitā,|| Sīho'va anupādāno pahīnabhayabheravo.|| || 841 Bhikkhavo tisatā ime tiṭṭhanti pañjalīkatā,|| Pāde vīra pasārehi nāgā vandantu satthuno' ti.|| || ---- 838 Lo! you who see all, it is eight days since We came and refuge found. In just one night, Exalted One(Buddha)! We are trained in your Rule. 839 You are Buddha! our Lord(Buddha) you! and you The mighty Seer who overthrew Māra(deathlord/devil). You who all evil tendencies have cleaned, And crossed flood of life's eternal sea, it is you who help the sons of men to cross. 840 you have transcended every cause of birth, And shattered every poison-growth within, You even as a lion, grasping nothing, Have banished every source of fear and dread. 841 Three hundred bhikkhus(monks) lo! before you stand, With clasped hands outstretched to honour you, Stretch forth your feet, O Lord(Buddha)! allow them the arahants(enlightened ones),14 to salute you.. ---- 1 Both story and poem form the greater part of the 'Sela-Sutta' in the Sutta-Nipāta and in the Majjhima Nikāya (ii. 146). Dhammapāla is strangely silent over these older versions. His own version is briefer and, except for the more evolved myth referred to below (p. 314, n. 2), more simple. His use of ādi, 'and so on,' seems, however, to hint at a more standard account as known to him. 2 In the Sutta-Nipāta Commentary this is the country about the River Mahī, north of the Ganges. Āpaṇa means 'bazaar,' 'market.' 3 This is based on the conviction that they have the genuine intellectual and moral qualities required in a Buddha, and that what they teach is true and its results certain (Ang. Nik., ii 8). 4 These negative clauses are not in the Sutta-Nipāta narrative. 5 In the Commentary sujāto is 'perfect in presence,' as to height and breadth. On these proportions, see Dialogues, ii. 14-16. 6 Brahā; the Commentary reads brahmā, excellent - i.e., in proportions. 7 Pariyatti-dhammo, the Path(Dhamma) in its literary form, or formulated doctrines (Commentary). 8 I omit from the text the glosses 'thus Sela said,' etc., which hamper the Pali metre. 9 Ang. Nik., i. 28. Anu, in anuvatteti, anujāto, is intended to express conformity, likeness, and not so much succession in time. Cf. the latter term in Iti-vuttaka (trans. Sayings of Buddha), Ī 74, where it is applied to children whose lives resemble those of their parents. In becoming an Ariya, says the Commentary, Sāriputta became of like birth or caste (jāti) with the Tathāgata. Sāriputta did not live to succeed the Lord(Buddha) as leader. 10 I.e., of greed, hate and illusion (Commentary). 11 Lit., 'one of dark descent,' paraphrased as nīcajāto. 12 Paccakkho is the paraphrase of sandiṭṭhiko; akāliko - lit., 'not-time-ish' - is explained as where fruition is to be won immediately after each path, without interval of time. The Sutta-Nipāta Commentary explains in practically identical terms. 13 This legendary feature is not in the Suita-Nipāta story. 14 Nāgas. On this term, see Udāvi's saying(gatha) (CCXLVII.). ----